KEVIN PIETERSEN won his showdown with another of the world's leading spinners to propel England towards an emphatic and quickfire victory in the second npower Test against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston.

Since walking out at Lord's for his Test debut against Australia last summer, the Hampshire batsman has set out to win his battles with key bowlers from the opposition.

He came out on top during last summer's thrilling battle with Shane Warne, who dismissed him only three times in 10 innings during the Ashes series, and was a spectacular winner of yesterday's battle with prolific off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.

Pietersen hit a magnificent 142 off only 157 balls and dominated Sri Lanka's attack - Murali included - to help England establish a 154-run first-innings lead despite Muralitharan grabbing six for 86.

The brilliance of that performance was underlined further by Sri Lanka slipping to 86 for four by the close of the second day, still trailing by 68 runs, with no other batsman in the match having scored more than 30.

From the moment Pietersen resumed the second day, which began 80 minutes late through overnight rain soaking the outfield, he was simply brilliant and helped himself to centuries in successive Tests.

Resuming on 30 overnight, while others struggled with the pace and bounce of the pitch notably exploited by Muralitharan, Pietersen was outstanding and hammered three sixes and 20 fours in his innings and contributed 112 out of England's 157 runs yesterday.

One of those sixes, a reverse sweep off Murali, drew looks of admiration even from a Sri Lankan team unhappy they had been told to continue the game in damp conditions which made bowling and fielding all the more difficult.

The conditions, however unsuitable, did not prevent Chaminda Vaas shattering nightwatchman Matthew Hoggard's stumps with a yorker and set the scene for the big battle between Murali and Pietersen.

On a wicket showing increasing signs of turn and unpredictable bounce, Pietersen was masterful and won the early tussles by hitting Murali for successive boundaries in an over to bring up his half-century.

Muralitharan, as would be expected of a player who entered this Test with 614 victims, responded superbly and should probably have won an appeal for a leg before against Pietersen when he was on 55 after he was struck on the back leg.

Perhaps unlucky to have umpire Darrell Hair refuse his loud appeals, Murali intensified his efforts to outwit Pietersen, but could not prevent him progressing to his fourth Test century and his third in the last eight Tests.

By now Pietersen had also lost Paul Collingwood, caught at bat pad to give Murali his first victim of the day, and responded by hammering his big rival for three boundaries in successive balls.

But just as his Test best score of 158 seemed in his sights, Murali gained his revenge on Pietersen when he tried to sweep a delivery which was too full and won a belated lbw appeal.

Pietersen had dominated a 52-run partnership with stand-in captain Andrew Flintoff, who had contributed only nine runs, and his demise began a stunning collapse by England, who lost their last five wickets for five runs in 29 balls.

Flintoff became the first of two victims for unorthodox fast bowler Lasith Malinga, while Muralitharan bamboozled both Geraint Jones and Liam Plunkett sufficiently to collect his 52nd five-wicket haul in Test cricket.